A Game of Well-Endowed Battle Freaks and Test-Failing Pushovers
by thisissupposedtobeblank
Summary: Sahashi Minato - world class wimp and virgin with no self-confidence. But one single year away from home can change someone, and while the ronin still may be weak-willed around women, he still has brains, and he's actually willing to use them. And with hot alien girls trying to both get in his pants and kill each other off, he'll need everything his little grey cells can muster.
1. Chapter 1

A loud explosion interrupted the still quiet of the Shintou Teito skyline. As a cloud of dust rose up, a white and pink blur shot out, blazing past the buildings at impossible speeds. The blur launched itself into the air, unconcerned of the perilous drop below it.

Gradually the dust cloud settled, revealing another figure, trying to stop coughing. Clad in a blue kimono-like shirt and spats, with a large red obi shaped like a bow, the cute pink-haired girl threw up two gloved hands in the air, shrieking in anger.

"Where is she? Where the hell did that idiot run off to?"

"I think she got away," deadpanned another voice.

The pinkette, with eyes ablaze in fury, quickly rounded on her companion, a gray-haired gothic-looking girl clad in a dark kimono and many bandages. "I know that, idiot! I mean which way did she go?!"

The goth girl simply shrugged. "Who knows? Besides that, Benitsubasa, why are you so focused on beating _that_ Sekirei?"

Taking a few breaths, Benitsubasa soon calmed down enough to answer her partner. "She's a fist-type like me! If I can kill her, than I can prove to Natsuo that I'm the best at hand-to-hand."

"... Or are you just jealous of those watermelons she has?"

"S~Shut up, Haihane!"

"Kukuku. Poor Benitsubasa, with her A-cup breasts."

"I said shut up! Besides, Natsuo likes smaller breasts," the fist-type Sekirei tried to counter, lifting her head up arrogantly despite the obviously embarrassed blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Natsuo likes _no_ breasts, Benitsubasa. As in, he doesn't like girls. We were told he'd be our Ashikabi, like, two weeks ago, and he still hasn't winged us."

"Th~ That's because we've been on a training course for what our roles as the disciplinary squad will be! Yes, that's why he hasn't w~winged us!"

"... Keep telling yourself that, pettanko."

"You're not that much bigger than me, Haihane!"

Fortunately, the two's argument was cut short as car horns blared in the distance. Figuring that the white-and-pink blur caused the commotion, the pinkette sprinted off in that direction, leaving the goth girl behind, shaking her head. With a tired sigh laced with annoyance, Haihane dashed off to follow her hot-blooded partner. In her mind, she couldn't help but wonder how long this game of cat-and-mouse was going to take.

* * *

In another part of the bustling city, a scrawny young man grumpily walked out of a convenience store, grumbling darkly underneath his breath. Just behind him, a lovely girl followed, pleasure fairly discernible on her face as she cutely licked her spoon clean. A cool spring breeze blew through her shoulder-length brown hair . She wore a cute brown jacket with an odd red tie and a short skirt. Unbeknownst to her, every guy within a hundred feet swiveled their heads to check out the petite beauty, a fact the man in front of her calmly observed and tried to ignore. If it weren't for the fact that the girl behind him was the second-scariest woman he had ever known, the boy would have felt worried for his little sister.

"Ice cream, ice cream," sang the girl in an upbeat voice, enjoying her treat her brother bought for her. All the near-by men were entranced with the sight. That, or her cute, shapely butt that her short skirt failed to properly hide.

Her actions only made her brother roll his eyes. "You know, Yukari, you acting like that is bound to make someone think you're still in middle school."

"Oniichan, if I were you, I'd remember the last time you talked back to me…"

The brother stopped for a moment, trying to recall that. Frankly, he'd been walked over by his mother and his sister so much that he was surprised there was a "last time." Was it high school? Middle? Elementary? "You know, Yukari, I can't even remember when I ever talked back... Damn, am I a pathetic guy or what?"

"That's right, Oniichan, and just because you've been away for one whole year doesn't mean you can mouth off at me."

The young man stumbled, shocked at how easily he fell into his sister's trap. He seriously should have seen it coming, but like she said, it had been a year since he had left home. A year where he went off to try and accomplish his dream of getting into the top school in Japan… and failed, miserably. Well, truth be told, he found the test so shockingly easy that he fell asleep during it, just to wake up when it was called back, only half done.

Of course, it would have been all good if he had at least done well on it the _second_ time, but much like the first, he fell asleep… within five minutes of actually starting the test.

Because of this, people assumed he was poor under pressure.

No, growing up under the foot of two monsters known as women was living under pressure. Being the son of the smartest mother he knew was living under pressure. Taking a college exam… nope.

Perhaps the stress-free environment of the testing center was the whole reason he fell asleep? The boy snorted at his observation - seriously, kids were known to collapse from stress for the exams, and here he thought that the test-taking situation was a breath of fresh air. He sure was an odd guy.

"By the way, Yukari, why am I paying for your ice cream again?"

"Because this will probably be the last time you'll be able to for awhile."

"Huh?"

"Do you honestly think Mom isn't going to punish you for failing to get in school again?"

"... M~Mom!? I completely forgot about that! Shit, how am I going to explain this?! And wait - how did you know I failed to get in again?!"

The petite girl shrugged. "Everybody has their secret ways."

"You just graduated high school! You just came in from the inaka! How would you ever get information on stuff happening in the city?!"

The girl ignored her brother, making him grumble all the more of annoying little sisters and overbearing mothers. He was really starting to regret inviting his little sister to visit at all.

* * *

"Hiyah!"

With the shout came a loud explosion. If there were any observers, they would have seen the shocking scene of a petite pink-haired girl punching through a brick wall; as it was, Benitsubasa and her foe found themselves in a little used alleyway on the outskirts of Shintou Teito.

Her opponent, the original white-and-pink blur, huffed in exhaustion. The pink-haired girl had been chasing her for six hours, and as much fun as it was, it was gradually getting more and more taxing. Her odd attire, which looked like a naughty miko cosplay, was starting to tear, and bruises marred her cute face.

Benitsubasa, too, was starting to really get worn out. She knew she was energetic - what could she say, she was a redhead, in a pinkish sort of way - but this enemy brought hyperactive to a brand new level. The most infuriating part was the voluptuous miko girl should have tired herself out much sooner, with every action being accompanied by way too much unnecessary motion - it was as if, instead of merely stepping to the side and letting a punch go by, she threw herself ten feet away to dodge, and then threw everything she had behind a single counter punch. The Red Sekirei was seriously wondering how anyone could do that for six hours straight and still put up a fight.

And no, the most infuriating part of this entire battle of attrition was not the fact that every time the miko girl moved, that massive bust seemed to jiggle. No, Benitsubasa continued to deny that.

After another punch was dodged, the miko-like girl shot forward, unleashing as much power behind her fist as possible. Naturally, Benitsubasa leaned to the right, making the girl miss and destroy an unsuspecting trash can. A few loud meows interrupted their flow, and the girls mutually just fell, utterly spent.

"How~ can~ you~ still~ fight?" The Red Sekirei huffed out as she struggled to get breath back into her lungs.

Her opponent, sprawled out in the dirty alley, just lay there, her chest heaving at the lack of oxygen. Benitsubasa tried to ignore how massive it was. "Musubi~ must~ find~ her~ Ashikabi!"

"So~, my~ rival~ is~ named~ Musubi?"

"Rival? What's ~ that?" If the pinkette wasn't already lying face down on the ground, she would've face faulted.

"Seriously, you don't know what a rival is? Are you an idiot?!"

"Hey, it's not nice to call people 'idiot'!"

Their conversation was interrupted by a burst of laughter from Benitsubasa's partner - a rather cheerful laugh, clashing strongly against the dark, gothic attire she chose to wear. Haihane just couldn't believe someone was so… dumb, and her hot-blooded teammate was totally falling into the miko girl's pace. Even now, she could see the Red Sekirei temperature rising, fury itching to be unleashed. The Blue Sekirei wasn't sure if she would ever see as good a manzai on TV.

But, like every episode, there must be an end, and two girls wearing rather revealing outfits chose then and there to break the comedy act up.

"Oh, look what we've got, Hibiki. Three unwinged Sekirei."

"So it seems, Hikari."

Benitsubasa cursed under her breath. She was truly having a horrible day - after six hours of a grueling chase all over the city of Shintou Teito, these two identical idiots decided to get in on the action. Sparks shooting off them confirmed what the Red Sekirei had guessed: these two were Nos. 11 and 12, twin Sekirei under the ownership of Kaoru Seo. From what the reports were at the MBI headquarters, these two were "connected at the hip;" so much so that their powers of electricity were indescribably more powerful when the two of them were together.

There were also reports that they had been "hunting" Sekirei who had not made a contract with their Ashikabi yet. Seeing as they weren't very coordinated and their Ashikabi was an idiot, the two had had no such luck at eliminating their targets. It could be said that their actions ended in the exact opposite of their desired results: almost all of their victims were actually led to their fated ones thanks to these two. Some within MBI suspected that this was the real goal that even the two Sekirei - nor their fool of an Ashikabi - weren't aware of.

Whatever the real reason for their actions, Benitsubasa instantly knew that right now the twins were excited at their current prospects. Three unwinged Sekirei, two of which having already exhausted each other out? The Red Sekirei might as well have been handed over on a silver platter.

Luckily, there was still Haihane. Despite being a relatively young Sekirei, the girl was good - her speed and agility were among the best of the 108 alien warriors, which could be taken advantage of all the more with the narrow alleyway walls. True to her physical talents, the Blue Sekirei quickly darted in front of her partner and the miko girl, urging them to get out of there. Somehow, the two found enough strength left to run away, though for how long, they were unsure.

"Oh? Looks like we have a challenger, Hibiki." Her sister looked at the gray-haired goth girl, somewhat worried. It wasn't like she was concerned about her battle prowess - no, Hibiki was quite sure that, short of the single digits, her twin and she could take on quite a few of their brothers and sisters. But for an unwinged Sekirei to welcome the challenge, even if it was to give her friends time to escape? There was something off about the upcoming fight; unfortunately for her, she was about to find out exactly what.

"Disciplinary Squad, Blue Sekirei, No. 104, Haihane," announced their opponent, leaving the two gaping at their luck, or lack thereof.

"... Hibiki, you're the smarter, more composed one of us. Did she say what I think she said?"

"... If what you thought she said was 'Disciplinary Squad,' then yes, Hikari, she did."

"Okay, just checking to be sure."

As if to further confirm their suspicions, the bandaged girl waved her hand. With a solid _SHINK_!, five scary-looking blades extended from her fingers, terrifying the twins all the more. It just so happened that, just the previous night, the two had agreed to watch a horror movie with their perverted Ashikabi. The movie featured some man with a scarred face, who had hunted teenagers with a glove with similar bladed extensions. Evidently Seo had been trying to butter them up and comfort them, no doubt hoping he'd get lucky. Unfortunately, Hibiki and Hikari were so scared their powers had unwittingly gone haywire, leaving both the television and the pervert fried.

Needless to say, the creepy girl in front of them was bringing back nightmares.

The Blue Sekirei had waited for them to introduce themselves, as was customary for a Sekirei duel, but this was starting to get ridiculous. The two had actually started to talk about one of her favorite movies and acted as if she wasn't even there! … Then again, it wasn't as if she wanted to fight two Sekirei at the same time - the chances of her coming out of it unscathed were relatively small. Haihane thought about it, and figured that, if they were so willing to ignore her, maybe she would oblige them and run away. She needed to keep up with Benitsubasa in the end. With a little shrug, the girl jumped up the side of the building and headed off in the direction the two other Sekirei had run off, leaving behind the twins, much to their relief.

The one sporting a larger chest posed a question. "Should we follow them, Hibiki?"

"No, unless you want to start messing with the Disciplinary Squad. If I remember right, _she_ is on the squad, too."

"Oh yeah - _her_ ," whimpered the more endowed of the two, a shiver of fear racing down her back. The farther away from that sadistic battle freak of a Sekirei they were, the better. "Er, well, maybe we should look for Seo - no doubt he's mooching off that friend of his again."

And with a nod from her smaller sister, the twin Sekirei walked off, fully aware of their own cowardice and not caring whatsoever.

* * *

Yukari was still finding it hard to believe that her brother was such a failure. She knew how smart her mother was and, after eavesdropping on her mother a bit and doing a little digging, found out who their father was as well. And considering her father that she had never met before was a legitimate genius, it would be natural to assume that her brother and she had high IQ scores.

Alas, on her end, it was not meant to be. Yukari wouldn't consider herself dumb by any stretch of the imagination, but still, her intelligence was only a little above average. Enough that she could get into one of the better women's colleges in Shintou Teito, but not on the same level as Minato's dream school. Sure, she had tried to go there, but unlike her big brother Minato, she had not put all her eggs in the same basket.

The problem with Minato, in her opinion, was a certain lack of self-confidence, no doubt after being consistently beaten down by both his mother and sister. For a guy, having to bow to the whims of a single woman would be tough, let alone the two closest to him.

Truth be told, Yukari really wished she hadn't been such a bitch to her brother. In fact, she hated it whenever she saw him cower before her. No, she would have much prefered it if Minato and she had worked things out and become close. Like a normal brother and sister. Cooking each other's meals, watching movies together, sharing a bath with each other…

Yukari mentally blanched at that last desire. Ugh, she had been hoping that those horrible feelings had disappeared with her brother gone for a year.

As much as she hated to admit it, the younger sister had had a crush on Minato growing up. She guessed it was after he had found her lost in the woods. And even as a little girl, she knew her thoughts were wrong. Minato was her big brother. And a young girl should never look at her brother like that.

So, Yukari did what most girls did in any situation when they like someone but didn't want to admit it: she took her feelings out on him, usually in the form of insults or threats. She abused him every chance she got, from ordering him around like a servant to threatening him of horrible consequences if he ever considered peeking on her (which she secretly hoped he would, though she knew Minato would never even consider it). She knew she was ruining her relationship with her brother, but Yukari couldn't help it - the girl feared she would never see her brother again if her true feelings were ever revealed.

His escape attempt to the city formally known as Tokyo was a relief as much as it was a heartache. While it did hurt not being around him anymore, without an older brother to bully, she was resorted to do what normal girls did her age: start fantasizing about the perfect guy. Gradually, images of her brother started fading, replaced by bishounen so cute, you could make them look like a girl. A very rare breed, naturally, and one that couldn't be found in the inaka. And since this preference was basically impossible to indulge in her hometown, Yukari kept searching for new avenues to pursue affection; and she found some… in the form of breasts. The girl had no idea why her mind had made quite the 180. It may have been due to an odd case of the Oedipus complex, considering the giant knockers her mother had, but she suddenly developed a desire to fondle the fruits of well-endowed women. To her, big breasts became just as much of a national treasure as bishounen, and they were much more abundant in the inaka. It just so happened that her best friend had one of the more impressive racks in her school. As the year slowly progressed, so did Yukari's fascination with her friend's two large orbs until one night, at a sleepover, her willpower gave out.

Fortunately, her friend turned out to be lesbian and quite enjoyed the cute Yukari groping her pride and joy.

And from that moment on, Yukari was bisexual. She lusted after both well-endowed girls and pretty boys, and, since she was relatively attractive, she usually could find whatever she wanted.

So naturally, the youngest Sahashi was absolutely ecstatic when, out of the blue, the embodiment of sexual desire literally fell in the lap of her bishounen brother. It might have been just a split-second, but in that short amount of time, what must have been a god of lust had blessed Yukari with a vision. Even while her onii-chan got the panty shot of all panty shots, the only thing his little sister could focus on was the massive bust practically bursting out of the white gi. Oh, how she would love to massage those watermelons with her two hands!

Of course, anyone's attention would naturally be destroyed when a _second_ body fell right on top of the first…

* * *

This was, again, not Benitsubasa's day. From chasing a human pogo stick to dealing with the Pikachu S&M sisters, her life was a hectic mess as she darted over buildings following Musubi. Sure, she was glad when Haihane had returned looking no worse for the wear, but her flight still left her as exhausted as she ever had been in her life.

It didn't help that the human pogo stick sported two handles that were way too big to be comfortable. And that those handles seemed to bounce just as much as the Sekirei herself, as if they were mocking the pinkette.

Damn all big breasts! Leave something for all those less fortunate!

Now, as most would presume, it was usually unwise to focus on something other than the surroundings when jumping between buildings, especially when going at a speed far exceeding that of humans. It's easy to lose focus, and it's never good to lose focus when there are forty-foot drops. Not one bit.

So, naturally, the young, unfocused pinkette, tortured by images of her rival's massive pair of tits (for some odd reason, an image of those two melons refused to leave her mind) and not paying attention to her surroundings at all, soon found her face planted into the side of one of the tall buildings that dotted the skyline of Shintou Teito. That was indeed the impact needed to help her focus on the situation - the fact that she was now hanging on by her fingertips over a forty-foot drop made it obvious that the crash came a little too late.

It didn't help that Haihane, who had tried (though not that much - there was an opportunity to rib Benitsubasa later, and she wanted to take advantage of it as much as possible) to warn her partner, was busy cracking up.

The shock wave from the collision jarred her miko-like rival's concentration, and she looked down the side of the building to find the Red Sekirei clinging to bricks. Now, in most cases, the hunted in this situation would take the opportunity to escape, which was reasonably smart. They may even see this as an opening to finish off their hunter, which was considerably smarter.

Sadly, Musubi never was considered moderately intelligent, so she merely glanced over the side, her head tilted cutely, wondering what she should do. And she would have stayed that way for who knows how long, had the pink-haired No. 105 not uttered the one word that could put her in action: "Help!" Musubi, a pure-hearted young alien girl, was never one to abandon someone in need of help. She truly believed in the power of love and wanted to share it with everybody, and this was the perfect opportunity! What better way to prove the validity of her beliefs was there than to help save an enemy! Perhaps then her self-proclaimed rival would acknowledge her and they could become the best of friends! So, without further hesitation, No. 88 did the only thing she could think of to get to the troubled Benitsubasa - she jumped down…

Let me repeat, Sekirei No. 88 Musubi was _not_ the sharpest tool in the shed. In fact, MBI scientists secretly believed she was the dumbest of all Sekirei. That, combined with her naivete and innocence along with her amazing beauty and well-endowed bust, was all that was needed for a betting pool among the scientists on how long it would take for her Ashikabi to take advantage of her. The over/under was two hours.

There was another bet on whether or not the girl would proclaim it as love… Currently no one had put any money on "No."

Anyways, long story short, jumping down to help her rival proved unwise - especially considering there was nothing between the ceiling and the ground. Benitsubasa barely even registered the blur rush past her, nor did she hear the cry for someone to "look out." She definitely was unaware of the extremely awkward pile of bodies just below her. All the Red Sekirei knew was that, at that moment, she was losing her grip and about to have a forty-foot fall. Not enough to kill her, and probably not enough to break any bones, but still bound to be painful.

At long last, her exhaustion won out and she lost her hold. For some odd reason, the Red Sekirei recalled a small lesson on gravity one of her adjustors taught her on a whim. She knew that gravity managed to pull things down at 9.8 meters per second, which meant that she would hit the bottom in… a second and a half. For Benitsubasa, it was the longest 1.5 seconds she had ever experienced. The girl couldn't help but wonder why this entire escapade had seemed like it came out of those animes that the MIB researchers had let her watch.

Well, as long as she didn't fall onto someone…

Oh no. She just had to think that. No, because she questioned fate, there was bound to be someone under her, their collision starting an epic tale of conflict and romance.

… Maybe she should stop watching anime…

And how the hell was she able to think about all of this in a second and a half?

* * *

Minato wasn't sure which side of the coin fortune had flipped for him that day. On the side of luck - well, what single straight guy wouldn't be pleased when a very round, firm-looking butt with pure white panties suddenly flashing in front of his face? Plus, a very cute face - though the pink hair seemed a little strange - soon followed, mere inches away from his own. Most guys would see that sequence as a huge boon.

Then again, considering the butt had smashed into him from somewhere above, followed by another collision involving the cute face… well, he wasn't sure if he should go to the hospital to check for any broken limbs. Though explaining how he suffered those injuries would prove bothersome - not to mention the possibility of being labeled as a pervert.

Now that he thought about it, he'd never actually gotten seriously injured before.

Still, now was not the time to worry about that. The bigger worry was whether either the cute tush or the cute face would start reacting in a violent matter. Years of continued abuse from both his way-too-bossy sister and even bossier mother had ingrained within him a sixth sense - one which had grown practically back to full strength after just a single day with Yukari. And frankly, this sixth sense wasn't just tingling about the cute pink-haired girl. It was giving him literal chills, and inside his head, a loud and obnoxious siren was shouting out "Danger!" in its highest decibel.

The blush that was obviously not from attraction didn't help matters at all.

Yeah, fortune definitely didn't give him any favors this day.

"Er… hi?"

The tension immediately shattered. Quicker than he thought a human could ever actually move, the pinkette sprung up, sputtering out threats and insults in a very embarrassed and heated manner. "Just like Mom and Yukari," muttered the ryonin - seriously, why did fate just love to send violent girls into his life?

Minato heaved a sigh before registering that he still was under an amount of weight. He looked down his chest… only to see the same white pair of panties on the very shapely butt. Instantly something hardened below his waist - which he realized was probably close to the face of whomever was on top of him. Of course, realizing how bitchy fate seemed to be in his life, it was practically guaranteed that, should the mystery tush figure this out, a violent beating would ensue, soon joined by Pink and Yukari. And, like usual, it wouldn't be his fault. Perhaps he should start thinking up random excuses that probably would be ignored by the three troublesome women.

All of these ideas were promptly squashed when, instead of a furious outcry, he heard a soft voice moaning "itai." Slowly, the mysterious tush sat up, revealing to the virgin beneath it a … rather attractive back and a short hairstyle, slowly being rubbed by a gloved hand. It didn't mean much, since there were plenty of women who "looked nice" when checked out from behind. Naturally, seeing a rather curvy back with a very nice butt straddling him didn't stop Minato's hormones from acting up even more.

The girl kept groaning from the fall, muttering about too tall of distances to jump from. She turned her head to take in her surroundings. Finally her eyes and the eyes of the man underneath her met. For the young man, it was quite the electrifying moment. Minato was instantly captivated by the strange girl's overwhelmingly insane cuteness. Her eyes were a chocolate brown, which matched her hair styled in a hime cut. Through rather short, two side bangs framed a picturesque face. A single hair shot out in a different direction, which worried the boy a bit, but still made her all the more adorable. If Minato could describe her, she was the embodiment of innocent beauty.

That all changed when she thanked him for catching her, proving that innocence may have in fact leaned more to the naiveté/foolishness. It seemed like that one errant strand did prove to be an idiot hair, just as he had first feared.

"Watch out!" With a sudden shout, the girl dive-tackled him away from an explosion. The young man soon found his face in a valley surrounded by two great peaks, and instantly his pants grew a little tighter. Those things were enormous! He was having trouble trying to figure out if he should hug the girl, go straight to groping, or push her away for fear of being caught out in public.

Unfortunately, that moment of blissful indecision was taken away from him as the hime-cut girl jumped off him to stand… _protectively_ over him? What was going on?

"Oi, cow-tits, get out of the way! I'm going to murder that boy!"

Oh, from where the explosion came, the pinkette stood in the middle of a crater… Wait, did that petite girl just punch a three-foot hole into the ground?! Shaking his head to ignore what obviously was a blatant disregard of the laws of physics, Minato instead chose to get a good look at her this time and could tell that his first impression of her was on the mark - she was also insanely cute. Not the brunette's "completely innocent but with a body that begs to be ravished" cuteness - did he actually think that? - but more of an adorability that begged to be pampered and praised, but unwilling to admit such. He could honestly see himself standing next to her, petting her pink hai~ Minato could only sigh and figured he seriously needed to get a girlfriend.

He glanced at the pinkette again and noticed that she had gloves on her hands like the brunette, too. Looking closer, he noticed that she wore a short blue kimono with a large red obi… and were those spats? That was certainly an odd fashion choice. Granted, it did look good on her… Speaking of which, the girl who had landed on him first also wore a kimono - just one with obvious miko influences, though extremely short, as if it came out of one of those cosplay magazines some guys he knew were into.

… Why did the young man all of the sudden have images of a fighting game from the arcades running through his mind?

All that took a backseat when it finally registered what the pinkette had just said. "Woah, hold it, P~Pink. Before you go around trying to p~pummel my face in, let me ask a q~question: why do you want to m~murder me? I mean, if anything, I'm the v~victim here!" Minato mentally cursed himself for once again being weak around anything that had boobs - it was a condition that was beat into him by both his mother and his sister, and he was seriously trying to break it.

Hearing his admittedly good question and reasoning, all three girls in the area stared at the young man still lying on the ground. Yukari practically palmed her face at her brother's patheticness, though there was no one else but herself and her mother to blame. The pinkette nearly face faulted, muttering something about "pink." And the brunette… just stared at the man behind her. Minato could swear he noticed question marks popping up around her.

"Benitsubasa, stand down." All four started and instantly whirled around to find a new girl landing softly nearby. Minato was again struck by the girl's beauty, though this one was on a whole different vibe than the two girls in front of him. Instead of being cute, this new girl had a certain… dark appeal. He could automatically see she preferred the Gothic style - black clothes (though calling them clothes may be a stretch; more like rags), silver hair, dark makeup, and bandages. Lots and lots of bandages covering quite a bit of body. Strike that, Minato was sure that there was more bandages covering her than rag~ clothes. It left little to the imagination.

The pinkette, now identified as Benitsubasa - which was quite the unusual name, Minato thought, even if it obviously fitted her - quickly rounded her anger on the newcomer. "But Haihane! That man almost winged me!"

Haihane… Benitsubasa… did their names have anything to do with their hair? And what the hell did "wing" even mean? The lone male in the group could only wonder while the two continued bickering.

"But since he didn't, then what's the harm? Besides, it was your fault."

"It was not! It was…" The entire group, bar the brunette, leered with their eyes half-lidded at the pinkette who was obviously trying to find someway to deflect the blame. Fortunately for her, she found a confused target. "It was her! Yeah, it was my rival's fault! Blame cow-tits, not me!"

It seemed like the brunette figured out they were talking about her. "Hey, it's not nice to call people names!" She quickly jumped, pulled back a fist, and tried to punch the pinkette as hard as she could… resulting in a massive dust cloud shooting up in the air. The two siblings could only stare dumbstruck at the girl's display of monstrous strength.

A harsh cough broke the silence as the debris started to fall. Benitsubasa managed to dodge the attack and glared at the brunette, her hand covering her mouth to let her breath. The young man noted that she was about to retaliate, her legs taunt in anticipation, when her goth friend pulled her back. "Listen, we should head back. It's getting late."

The pinkette growled at her partner before conceding. "Oi, Musubi! You're my rival, you got that? Next time we meet, it'll be to the d~ Haihane, let go! You totally threw me off! Wait, no! I've got to threaten the boy! I've got to th~" Minato and Yukari sweat-dropped as the Goth girl dragged Benitsubasa away. They actually felt a bit sorry that the girl in the blue kimono couldn't finish what she wanted to say, despite the obvious death threat.

Still, that left them with the last of the weird girls - the girl with the gigantic ti~ er… the miko-clad girl, Musubi. Both of the siblings just watched her, wondering how they should help the clueless girl, just as she collapsed. Minato quickly hurried over to the girl, Yukari just behind, afraid of what happened to the poor girl.

And both of the intelligent children also noticed the weird electronic device lying next to her, blinking somewhat ominously.


	2. Chapter 2

"Seriously, who collapses due to hunger?"

Minato sat at the local family restaurant, watching as the weird girl he had just met continued stuffing her face full of food. For the first five minutes, he had watched in awe and slight fear at the girl's monstrous appetite that was nearly on par with that insane strength of hers, but his concern over his wallet gradually faded.

After all, since his mother was most likely insanely rich, and seeing as this girl most likely was related to her somehow, he'd guilt his mother into refunding him.

Considering all the years of abuse he'd taken from her, it was the least she could do.

"Nevermind that, onii-chan." Minato could only sigh at how his sister easily blew off something that should have her legitimate concern. "I want to know how you knew Mom worked for MBI!"

Yukari's commanding aura made the older brother want to crawl back into his shell, but now was not the time. No, it was time to use some of those brain cells that he was blessed with. "Well, seeing as Mom worked way too much for just a 'pharmaceutical' company like she always complained about, and taking into account MBI owns everything, it wasn't that hard to connect the dots. A little research and … we get Sahashi Takami, head researcher of the world's largest conglomerate. Honestly, why she even bothered to hide this from us…"

Yukari couldn't help but think it was because their father was the CEO of said company, but refrained from saying anything. Chances were Minato didn't know about _that_ yet, even if he had surprisingly used his brain for once. "... Do you think Mom knows anything about this 'Sekirei Plan'?"

The two had learned about this after fiddling around with the weird electronic device they had found. They had figured it belonged to Musubi, but she had just shook her head, mentioning how she had forgotten hers at MBI Headquarters… much to their lack of surprise. It must have been owned by that pink-haired girl with the fiery attitude. Shrugging this off (the girl had been quite rude, what with her sneak attacks and death threats), they examined the device, noticing the MBI logo. Once it turned on, it revealed itself as the Sekirei Dictionary, otherwise known as the Sekidex.

Both the siblings suddenly had an odd sense of deja vu when that was revealed. Flashbacks to a child anime about some idiotic brat wanting to collect a bunch of monsters that, in the real world, would easily kill people kept popping up, and considering the … _eccentric_ personality of the infamous MBI boss, they wouldn't be surprised if he took some influence from that show.

After being fiddled around a little bit more, the Sekidex was more than willing to share any information the two wanted. Before they got to the restaurant, the "plan" had been revealed. It was all uncomfortably anti-climactic, and the two held disappointed looks at the lack of creativity behind the mastermind's idea. A battle royale? Boring, and done way too many times. Yukari seriously wondered if she and that megalomaniac really were related.

Hearing his little sister's question, Minato couldn't help but snort. "Mom's most likely the second most important person in the entire company. The chances of her not knowing what the hell is going on are probably smaller than me getting a backbone around you two. No, she definitely knows what's happening - it's actually kind of sad she's probably going with it."

Yukari couldn't hold back on the smirk at her onii-chan's self-deprecating humor, but his comments about their mother worried her. She turned to look at Musubi, who was busy thanking the two of them and hoping her future Ashikabi - the Sekirei's master or trainer, for want of a better word - was just as kind in between stuffing her mouth. Her eyes naturally wandered down to the massive bust, eager to attack it, but the human girl shook off her lust. "Should we ask Mom about Musubi?"

The Sekirei in question perked up at hearing her name, tilting her head cutely to the side. Again, the two siblings were astounded at the question marks that seemed to pop up out of nowhere around the alien girl - it wouldn't be a surprise if that turned out to be some sort of confusion-inducing attack of Musubi, the Naive Sekirei. Wondering if their pocket dictionary for all things alien was anything like that old anime, Minato held the Sekidex up, pointing it directly at the lone non-human among them.

"Maybe we can ask this instead of Mom?" The young man offered hesitantly, both from wondering if it would work and from hoping his sister wouldn't notice his cop out.

The Sekidex immediately responded: "No. 88, Musubi, the Bear Sekirei."

"... Isn't this getting rather close to copyright infringement?" Of course, seeing as MBI practically ruled the world of pharmaceuticals, paying off a lawsuit wouldn't be that difficult.

And "Bear Sekirei"? How was the super cute girl in front of them anything like a bear? Wait… did she have the ability to transform into an ursine-like creature? Because that would be insanely coo~ er, troublesome. Yes, very troublesome indeed.

Perhaps he should let the Sekidex continue?

"Musubi is a Close Combat-type, using her fists to pummel other Sekirei into submission. She seems to be a battle freak and is always looking for a good fight.

Stats: 97-58-89."

… Those stats seemed awfully suspicious.

"97? That's… that's… that's amazing!" The sparkle in Yukari's eyes and the drool that dribbled out of her mouth told her older brother that she too had an inkling of what those stats actually were.

"Those… numbers aside, the information the Sekidex was able to give us makes this situation a lot more annoying than what I previously thought, Yukari."

The little sister shook her daze away to focus back on the issue. "Oh, due to the fact that one of us will most likely be 'winging' Musubi here?" Though Yukari knew which one of them would indeed become the Ashikabi of the delectable specimen - she, after all, wasn't the one who had "caught" Musubi.

"... Yeah," sighed the lone male among them. "I'd rather not have anything to do with some weird alien battle royale, but considering Musubi here likes to throw punches around, she'll not want to escape Seitou Teito, and there's no way I'd let you be an Ashikabi alone here." Even if he knew the chances of Yukari winging the Bear Sekirei were relatively low around him, he didn't really want to leave his sister out - chances were she'd probably beat him over the head for being sexist or some random thing like that. But he was also pretty sure his little sister would be smart enough to figure out that that wasn't going to happen with Musubi; though if he was compatible with becoming an Ashikabi, chances were fairly high the girl who just graduated from high school was, too.

Yukari frowned a little, jealous that the super-cute Sekirei with the exceptional bust at the table would do just as her brother had left unsaid, but knew it was probably for the best. Besides, her brother needed to get laid, not that she would say that out loud. No, what needed to be said wasn't concerning the Sekirei, but the Sahashi sibling's mother. If her brother was going to be competing in a tournament that could potentially kill him, then it was probably best to get the woman who probably had the most knowledge about the alien girls involved. "I still say you should call Mom, though. I'm sure having an 'in' with the MBI is probably a good thing."

It was true. Minato could see the advantages of having his mother's aid in what might lie ahead. Knowledge was power, especially in what could become a full-out war, and what better information could anyone get than from the game-master's right hand?

But… it was his mother.

To say Minato had a good relationship with Sahashi Takami would be like saying Santa Claus came to town in the middle of April. Calling it strained would be putting it lightly. It wasn't like he didn't want a good mother-son bond; it's just that his mother was never there when he needed her. She was always at MBI, probably poking and prodding at these Sekirei to learn more about them. And when she was at home… Minato could still recall one time when Yukari had attacked him (he really shouldn't have mentioned her lack of a chest), and his mother did nothing except tell him to get up. She didn't even give a damn with all the blood that was pooling underneath him! He understood that the entire thing was his fault, but she could have shown a modicum of concern!

And it wasn't like she ever acted like she cared for Yukari at all, either.

Minato's eyes wandered over to the alien girl that was still busy trying to fill what was proving to be a bottomless stomach. His mother had probably spent her entire life taking care of these Sekirei. A spike of jealousy sprouted up at that. These girls probably knew more about Takami than her own children did. They may have actually seen her as a mother figure, too. Maybe even more than Minato and Yukari could.

Well, if that was the case, then it was best to let the mother know how her children were.

With another heavy sigh, the young man pulled out his cell phone and called one of the few saved numbers he had. The other end picked up instantly.

"... Hey Mom."

" _MINATO! I JUST HEARD YOU FAILED YOUR ENTRANCE EXAM AGAIN! HOW COUL~_ "

The ronin pulled back the phone, his ears ringing from the onslaught. He noticed his sister wincing, while Musubi just sat there with her fork in her mouth, her head tilted cutely to the side with the usual look of complete confusion. This was not good. He really needed to get control of the situation. Gingerly bringing the phone back up to his ear, he tried to get his mother's attention.

She continued ranting.

He tried again.

She took away his allowance.

Finally, he had enough. Mustering all of his courage, he brought his cell as close to his mouth as possible and breathed in as deeply as he could. This was something he had never done before - stand up to his mother. With one last huff, he was ready. "MOM," he shouted at the top of his lungs, earning the shock and ire of every single customer and employee within the family restaurant. He quickly waved his hands in apology to those around him, but his shout had done its job. His mother was silent.

"... Mom, I'm sorry about that. It's just there's something I need to talk to you about, and it has nothing to do with me being a failure."

" _If you think you could treat me with such dis~_ "

"Sekirei." The other end instantly went still. Minato figured that would happen - thinking back on it, that word should have been the first thing that came out of his mouth. "Listen, Mom, I know you know what they are, and~"

" _Minato, stop._ " His mother's voice was ragged, almost as if she was… scared? Why would his mother be scared? " _Listen, it's not safe to talk on the phone. There may be others listening in. I need you to meet me…_ " Minato listened on when and where to meet, letting his mother know that Yukari would also be there. She needed to find out everything too, since she was there from the beginning.

And one little nagging thought kept popping up. As he glanced at the miko-clad girl who had finally pushed herself away from her stack of plates, he couldn't shake the feeling that somehow this was going to prove even more troublesome than he imagined.

* * *

Sahashi Takami was in panic mode. Everything she had built up to try to protect her family - her career, her positioning, her attempts to keep her children away from her - was crashing down around her. And all it took was one phone call from her son.

The head researcher knew full well how horrible of a mother she was. Her mother had told her that over and over again, always trying to push her to being the proper woman in the house. Takami knew she could probably do that now. Her job at MBI had given her enough money that she could retire and tend to her children like she should - like she wanted.

But, over time, over years of helping alien girls grow up and learn about the world, she had actually grown close to them. She had nurtured them, watched over them… she hated to admit it, but she was more of a mother-figure to them than to her own children. She couldn't just leave the Sekirei to the insane whims of the MBI CEO.

Damn that Minaka. She really should have killed him by now.

Speaking of Sekirei, how did Minato know she was involved with them? She would have heard if he had been chosen as an Ashikabi - MBI had ways to know that. No, he must have met a Sekirei and she must have revealed MBI's influence despite expressly being told not to. Who could that b~ oh hell, who else could it be? Among all the Sekirei, there was only one who would have been dumb enough to forget that small detail. Musubi must have met him. Well, considering how little backbone her son had, quite a few of the workers here would be losing money.

So, her son was probably going to be an Ashikabi soon, with #88 as his Sekirei. That could prove extremely interesting… especially with Musubi's past. All the researchers at MBI still weren't sure how that Sekirei's actions had affected her, even after a ton of testing.

And frankly, this was probably the best for Minato - Takami would be the first to say that her son seriously needed to get laid. And having Musubi as his first would seriously boost that wimp of a son's confidence - that girl's body put gravure models to shame.

"Oh shit! Where did it go?"

Hmm? Takami looked up and found #105 fuming about something. The head researcher smirked at the little fireball - Benitsubasa reminded her a lot of herself. Brash, headstrong, ... violent. Just like herself and Yukari. Which meant that Takami was the only researcher who could probably calm her down. Rolling her eyes at the other researchers - all of whom were trying their hardest to ignore the pinkette - Takami marched up and gave the girl a hard knock on her head. "Oi, brat, what the hell is wrong?"

The pinkette pouted as she rubbed her sore head. "... I can't find my jisho."

"... You lost your Sekidex?"

"NO!"

"But you just said you couldn't find it."

"Yes, but… well…"

"Well, where did you last have it?"

"Um…" The pinkette stopped to think about it for a minute, and then it hit her. "That fall!"

"Fall?"

Cue instant blush. Obviously the Red Sekirei had accidentally let something she wanted to keep quiet slip out of her mouth. "It's noth~"

"Benitsubasa was chasing a Sekirei and ended up landing on some guy." Takami looked up to find the Red Sekirei's partner smirking, not that she was surprised. The gothic girl loved riling up her partner, despite how her personality seriously didn't match her choice of fashion. Seeing the pinkette's instant flustered reaction, MBI's lead researcher knew this story would be good.

"And why was No. 105 chasing another Sekirei?"

"No rea~"

"The girl had boobs the size of watermelons," cut in Haihane, clearly enjoying her slow torture of her teammate.

Takami ignored Benitsubasa's flustered excuses because the Blue Sekirei was most likely right. The pinkette had a lot of confidence issues when it came to chest size, which was unfortunately understandable, since the only ones who had less to show were the loli ones (and some of them might give the Red Sekirei a run for her money) and the few males. Still, of all the Sekirei, those with "boobs the size of watermelons," as Haihane had so eloquently stated, typically were limited to the single numbers for some odd reason. And Benitsubasa might be a little fireball, but even she knew she shouldn't go after single digits haphazardly. So if it wasn't one of those monsters, then the Sekirei that Benitsubasa was waging a private war against was most likely Musubi - that girl even put Takami's to shame, and Takami had a giant rack for a human. It probably didn't help that Nos. 88 and 105 were both close combat-types who preferred using their fists. Yes, out of all the Sekirei, Benitsubasa would naturally see that air-headed alien as her most natural rival. Still, best to confirm.

"Benitsubasa, which Sekirei were you chasing?"

"Does it really ma~"

"Just answer the question."

"Er… #88 - Musubi."

Takami smirked. Even if she was right most of the time, it always felt good when her IQ came through. Still, it probably meant her previous hypothesis concerning her son was completely off~ wait! Didn't Haihane mention something else? "And this guy you landed on…"

Once again, the lead researcher wasn't surprised when it was the goth girl, and not the fiery one, who elected to answer the adjuster's questions. "Brown hair, slight built. Pretty wimpy, but still kind of cute." That last part forced another blush on Benitsubasa's face.

… Yep, that was Minato. At least, that's what she had heard while listening in on her daughter's sleepovers. Why girls actually would go for some wimpy loser like Minato was beyond his mother.

"And this guy… did he have a girl with him?" She had heard Yukari was visiting Minato. "A girl who looked and acted a lot like me, only with brown hair?"

Both girls nodded. "Yeah, and she seemed extremely interested in #88's chest, for some strange reason."

Yes, that was definitely her two children. Her loser son and her brocon daughter with her boob fixation. She mentally sighed at how weird her children were. They were completely unlike their mother - their father's eccentricity must have somehow wormed through along with his cursed sperm.

"Um, Takami-sensei, do you know those two?"

The head researcher smiled. This turn of events was certainly unexpected, but it could prove … interesting. "Why yes. They're my children."

Both of the Disciplinary Squad trainee Sekirei's jaws dropped. Of the thirty million people they could have ran into in this city, for them to meet Takami-sensei's children… it was completely insane. Suddenly, both felt a little… strange. It was almost like an urging, like something was calling out for them. The two felt shivers run down their back, and they tried to hide their bodies from squirming.

Unfortunately for them, Takami knew exactly what was happening. Oh, this was absolutely perfect. Not only could could these two protect her two reasons for living (even if Minato and Yukari didn't know that), but she would also damage Minaka's plans. A one-man Disciplinary Squad would have a lot of difficulty keeping everything under control, even if _she_ was the one Sekirei. No, if her two children could wing these two young birds, then everything - and she meant _everything_ \- would have to be reworked. It would set that bastard's plans back for who knows how long.

And her children could survive.

With a deadly smirk, the older woman casually suggested the two young Sekirei go find that jisho, even prompting them where they could potentially meet the two prospective Ashikabi. Watching them dash off, even though they were obviously suspicious of what their sensei's true intentions were, the woman could finally relax. She had a big day tomorrow, and she was sure her son and daughter would be asking quite a few questions. They might even ask about _him_ , and this time, she wasn't going to hold back. The two deserved to know everything. They deserved to have a mother for once in their life.

Even if that pathetic son failed that entrance exam a second time.

* * *

"So, what now?"

"What do you mean 'what now'?"

"I mean, how should we do this? It's probably best if Musubi stays with one of us."

"Mmmmmgh."

"True. She is completely clueless of the world we live in, so she probably won't be able to survive on her own."

"And there are other Sekirei out there who might take advantage of an unwinged sister."

"Mmmmmng."

"... I could take her to my apartment."

"And who knows what you will do to her, pervert!"

"Hey, you know I have zero confidence with girls!"

"Mmmmmng."

"... She could stay with me…"

"And I know exactly what you will do to her, Yukari."

"Onii-chan…"

"OW!"

"MMMMMNG!"

By now, the low moans that were steadily getting louder were something the brother and sister combo could no longer ignore, even though they tried. Minato and Yukari knew exactly what was going on: Musubi was currently undergoing the process that every Sekirei (some secretly veiled behind denials) desired - reacting. She had found her chosen one, her master, her Ashikabi-sama … and she was getting extremely uncomfortable and hot. She kept squirming, trying to figure out what was up with her body, to no avail. So, she moaned - whether in agony or ecstasy, neither of the Sahashi siblings were sure.

What they were sure of was her moans were turning them on like a light switch. Minato's pants were taunt, Yukari's nipples were hard, and both were having a hard time not imagining erotic scenarios with the ero-miko shuffling behind them.

It didn't help that they had stumbled upon an area of the city that was littered with love hotels.

"Onii-chan…"

"Hmm?"

"I might have an ide~"

"No, rejected. Gone. You're out of here!"

"But it's cheap!"

"You were just accusing me of having lewd plans with Musubi, and you choose a love hotel as a compromise?"

"It's better than nothing."

… Five minutes later, to the brother and sister's shame and embarrassment, they sat on a heart-shaped bed, trying to ignore the near-orgasmic moans of the alien amongst them.

"Yukari…"

"Onii-chan?"

"... This was a horrible idea."

The room, the lighting, the atmosphere, the alien girl in heat - it was just making the two of them hornier. And an even more troubling thought for one of them was the potential for a threesome… which Yukari tried to shake off. No, thinking about her brother like that was not good. Not good at all!

"I… I'm going to take a shower." And before Minato could even put in a word, the girl had crossed the room and shut the bathroom door.

… Crap…

Minato took a chance and glanced at the Sekirei currently reacting, and most likely towards him He instantly regretted it. Musubi's robe was getting a bit disheveled and opening up a bit more, providing a small glimpse on the luscious fruits behind the haori. She was so heated up, she was now shiny with perspiration. And the panting. Minato had no idea panting could be so erotic.

If this continued, he wasn't sure if he could control himself… and that was not good, especially with his sister a flimsy door away from pummeling him into a coma. No, it was best to just deal with the current situation.

"Musubi?" The cute girl looked up, unsure of what to do. The looked screamed adorability… but Minato ignored that. "You're reacting, right? To me?" The girl hesitated a bit, but nodded shyly. "Well, what are you waiting f~" Before the young man could even finish his sentence, the alien girl had jumped him, stealing his lips and knocking both of them over… right onto the bed. Minato instantly recalled the bad situation and realized he should have chosen a more strategic point to ask her the question, but that thought disappeared when two shining… he couldn't think of a different word other than "wings" … popped out from the Sekirei's back. Huh, so that's how they got their name.

"I've… I've found my Ashikabi-sama!" The girl enthusiastically hugged her newly claimed master, who now was flustered with both the super-fantasy-like wings and the girl straddling him. And definitely more of the latter. How she couldn't feel that he was hard, he wasn't sure. Then again, Musubi seemed way too innocent and naive. … Great, the first time he's alone with a girl on a bed, and the girl probably didn't even have a clue what sex was.

Heaving a sigh, he was just about to tell his new Sekirei to get off when, all of the sudden, a new voice broke through the miko's cheering: "Wh~ Wh~ What are you two doing?!"

The recently made Ashikabi was first about to explain to Yukari that it was all a misunderstanding, but then it registered to him that the voice wasn't like Yukari's at all. Cautiously, he turned his head to look at the hotel room door. Blink. "Pink?"

"Y~ Y~ You pervert!" With a shriek, the girl tried to run away, but the silver-haired goth girl from earlier held her back.

"You two? What are you guys doing here? And what's going on?" He noticed the pink-haired girl had a bright-red blush matching her odd shade of hair that looked suspiciously like the one Musubi was sporting a few minutes ago. Oh, no… Meanwhile the silver-haired girl had a much fainter blush while glancing embarrassed at the new Sekirei-Ashikabi combo in an extremely compromising position. No need to wonder why her face was aglow. Blushing a bright red himself, Minato quickly had a clueless Musubi get off him and yelled for Yukari to come out. That made the goth Sekirei blush a brighter red. Realizing the reason, Minato could only shake his head, wondering why his world was turning more and more upside-down by the minute.

The moment Yukari stepped out, drying her hair, the goth girl spoke up. "Allow myself to introduce us. I am Sekirei No. 106, Haihane." Despite the fevered look the girl had, she was speaking rather calmly. She pointed to her companion: "The flat-as-a-washboard Sekirei next to me is No. 105, Benitsubasa."

"Will you shut it with the flat jokes, Haihane!"

"Oh, getting self-conscious in front of the Ashikabi you're reacting to, pettanko?"

"That's~ not true at all! My Ashikabi is Natsuo-sama! Besides, w~why would I w~want some w~wimp like th~that to b~be my A~Ashikabi?" Benitsubasa pointed condescendingly at Minato, who felt a sweat drop forming. A tsundere?

"Is that so… I assume you're back for that?" He nodded his head to the small table near the door, where the Sekidex was placed. It was hard to do so, since Musubi still was straddled on top of him, her monstrous strength keeping him down.

"Yes! Great, well, thank you! Come on, Haihane," grumbled the Red Sekirei and, with a quick flourish of her blue kimono, dragged the Blue Sekirei out of the room, electronic dictionary in hand.

"Onii-chan, what was that all about?"

"Oh, both of those two used Benitsubasa's lost jisho as an excuse to see the people they were reacting to."

"... Huh. … Wait, WHAT?!"

"I'm pretty sure Benitsubasa is trying to convince herself she doesn't want me to wing her, and Haihane nearly hyperventilated when I mentioned you."

"... No way." The girl sat on the bed next to the lone Sekirei remaining. A question popped up. "How did they find us? I mean, if they work with MBI and Mom, then they probably know who we are. Why would two siblings be at a l~love hotel?" Obviously, the fact that she was in here with her brother was still embarrassing. Minato remembered the look of complete shock by the guy at the cashier when he had asked for a room, which he could understand. Both Yukari and Musubi were attractive girls, even if he would never think of doing anything to his sister.

Casually letting that thought disappear, the older brother gave a theory he came up with on the fly. "I won't claim it's the reason, but I suspect the Sekirei have a sixth sense when it comes to finding their Ashikabi. Winging Musubi was probably like a beacon, too."

Yukari nodded in understanding. She had figured that the original reason why Sekirei were on Earth was to find potential mates to save a dying species, and it would only make sense for them to search for the best donors available. It wouldn't be a surprise if a good Ashikabi were found, then other Sekirei may subconsciously try to help themselves to his superior traits, in order to ensure strong progeny for the future. The same scenario could be found in the wild, after all. Yukari might not look like it, no did she think it personally, but she was definitely smarter than the average girl. Of course, that was when she focused her mind on actually meaningful subjects. Considering a lewd grin adorned her cute face, chances were her thought process had strayed from that intellectual path.

"So, you 'winged' Musubi? How was it?"

"Er… interesting, I suppose," murmured a blushing Minato, grateful that, during this discussion, his brand new Sekirei had finally gotten off his waist. Her voluptuous body still straddling him would have made this change of topic even more awkward than it already was.

"Is that so? Well, you had your fun, so I think it's my turn." And before Minato could question what Yukari meant, she jumped the miko-like Sekirei, her eyes flashing dangerously as she eagerly gazed on those giant knockers that were begging to be fondled.

And in all this commotion, everyone failed to notice the phone go off.

* * *

On the other side of the street, a pink-haired girl was on a balcony, spying on the actions of the two Sahashi siblings and her rival fist-type. "P~Perverts!"

"Says the girl peeping on them."

"Sh~Shut up, Haihane! Th~ This is for the Disciplinary Squad! Yes, we have to make sure the new Ashikabi is treating his Sekirei well!"

"... You suck at making up excuses, pettanko."

"I said shut up!"

Haihane, the more level-headed of the two, casually gazed down at what was making her partner so flustered. The second she spotted it, she couldn't help but agree with Benitsubasa, which might have been the first time in her life. The actions those two females were doing… Without realizing it, her hand made its way up to her breast, rubbing it a little. Why did she have a small feeling of longing?

Fortunately, her pink-haired partner threw her hands up in the air in frustration, accidently smacking her on the shoulder. That woke Haihane up from her trance - she looked mortified at what she was doing and instantly slapped her own hand away. Had she seriously been fondling her own breast? That meant… that meant she was reacting, right? To that brown-haired girl, Takami-sensei's daughter? Well, there were certainly worst choice~ this wasn't right! She had to find her Ashikabi, so that she could help the Sekirei survive! It was impossible for that to happen is she was reacting to a girl!

Then again, even if Takami-sensei's daughter was her predestined Ashikabi, that didn't mean she couldn't still do her duty to help ensure Sekirei survival. All she needed was a donor - maybe that scrawny cute brother of the girl could help. … Now this was getting seriously confusing and weird.

Haihane just sighed, wondering if this was just a false alarm. It was probably just the Blue Sekirei getting turned on by the yuri action across the street - an interest she hadn't really expected, but couldn't necessarily deny. Besides, considering Sekirei often flocked to a single Ashikabi, threesomes were almost inevitable in the future. It was probably best that she felt okay with what was going on. She didn't feel any different about the girl right then as she did the first time she met her proposed Ashikabi, Ichinomi Natsuo.

The fact that that had been a mere two feet away, whereas Takami-sensei's daughter made her felt the same from across the street, was ignored.

Glancing back at her Disciplinary Squad partner, Haihane muttered something that Benitsubasa took offense to. Yes, teasing her sister was definitely better than worrying about her future. She could focus on all that confusing stuff later - right now, there was a certain young man the Red Sekirei was reacting to, and the goth girl would make sure to catch the pinkette in the act of spying on him.

Yep, nothing beat teasing Benitsubasa.

* * *

Hello, there! How's everyone doing? I hope you'll enjoy this new fanfiction. I apologize for all those hoping for a non-pathetic Minato, but considering that's canon, it's hard to go against the grain. That being said, I never understood how the writer of Sekirei could seriously justify a certifiable genius being such an idiot. Not in the crazy way like Minaka - the line between genius and insanity is very thin, so the MBI CEO showing idiotic tendencies is understandable. It doesn't denounce his intelligence. I can even understand when writers make geniuses idiots when it comes to common sense - they're so focused on their studies that they don't really understand everyday life. But when someone passes a mock exam with flying colors, only to not realize their own mother is the lead researcher for the most powerful conglomerate in the entire world? Yeah, that's stretching it. There's common sense, and then there's following the bread crumbs. So, in this fanfic, Minato will still be weak-willed (hence the title) but actually have a brain. If you were hoping for a completely OOC main character, too bad. Go read an OC Sekirei story.

Also, as you can probably guess, Yukari will take a bigger role in this story. Again, the writer screwed up with how she portrayed Minato's brocon little sister (speaking of which, I can't really think of many harem stories written by a woman... interesting, to say the least). I mean, she's headstrong, brash, and was called the Demon Ashikabi for good reason. How the hell does that awesome character become the pathetic damsel in distress they showed in her kidnapping arc? Yeah, in this fic, she's going to be a legitimate deuteragonist, and she's going to be there to make sure her pathetic brother is up to snuff.

Anyways, review and whatever. This is merely a side project, so I'm not sure how much it'll be done.


	3. Chapter 3

Minato stared at his glass of water, bags drooping under his eyes, waiting for his mother to say something, anything, that could help him get over his mood. A tired sigh escaped his own. There was little doubt that she would only add to what had been absolutely horrible a horrible past twelve hours.

To start with, he had to admit that he hadn't been surprised when Yukari flung herself at Musubi. Sure, most older brothers would probably freak out if their little sister and the girl they thought they would lose their virginity to ended up… _enjoying_ their time together. And honestly, he was a bit… but mostly because he was somewhat afraid the girl was trying to steal the Sekirei for herself, and not because of his little sister who always talked about bishounen fondling the biggest boobs either had ever seen. No, for some odd reason, Yukari had told him a few months prior that she had a very high appreciation of large racks, though Minato still wasn't sure why she told _him_ specifically. He supposed they were close - as close as a queen was to her footstool, always there to "support" her. And yes, he meant mostly as a footrest.

But while he was supportive in her bisexualality and didn't completely mind her getting _friendly_ with _his_ Sekirei, she could have had the decency to at least wait until he was in a different room before her attack on the Twin Peaks. Even though she was the cutest girl he had ever seen, and probably still would be with a normal physique, Minato did find it hard not to focus in on Musubi's… watermelons, for lack of a better word. And despite how much he yearned to feel the softness of those two mounds with his own hands (and maybe even his face), there was one fact that kept him for diving in and going further: No. 88 was as innocent as a child. She really had no clue about boys and what boys wanted to do to cute girls like her, and Minato would never be the type to take advantage of someone so pure.

So, naturally, it was kind of vexing to see his sister do exactly what he wanted to do. And as much as he probably would have enjoyed the show, watching Yukari fondle Musubi was probably not the most ethical thing to do. So to escape from what was quickly turning into a very dangerous situation, Minato had elected to take a shower (quickly - yet regretfully, if he were forced to admit it - declining Musubi's invitation to join him; he told her to just enjoy her time). He returned to find both girls huffing in ecstasy, quickly telling his mind to not wander into forbidden territory, since his sister was involved. That didn't stop his quick deduction that, evidently, Musubi didn't mind some yuri action. As he slowly drifted to sleep, his mind recalled the pink-haired Sekirei that had seemingly reacted to him, and images of her and Musubi began to gather unbidden.

Of course, just as he had felt like he had purged those pictures from his brain, Musubi had sleepily crawled onto his small futon and pressed her enormous boobs against him. When that occurred, the young man gave up - sleep was not to come easily that night.

And when the sun came up and the girls started to wake up, what was he reward for not yielding to any temptation? A condescending "Pervert" from his adorable little sister! … He

"Minato, stop slouching. Haven't I taught you anything?"

The new Ashikabi seriously wanted to answer in the negative but held back. He did not need to get yelled at by his estranged mother on this day.

When the two siblings had gone to the place their mother had told them to meet her, they were shocked to find a limousine waiting for them instead. Thinking about it, they really shouldn't have been as surprised with the reception, seeing as their mother was the lead researcher at the world's most powerful company. She was sure to get some perks for the job - but since when had she started to flaunt it? The two literally grew up in a small home in the country, and they had nothing that screamed "our mother happens to be a big shot in the world's biggest company!" Hell, their mother still seemed to dress like a normal pers~

What the hell was with that dress?! Last time they checked, Minato and Yukari had known that Sahashi Takami wore casual, comfortable clothes, even if they did little to hide her physique (which was all but impossible). Now? Here she was, wearing some gorgeous black sleeveless dress that oozed sex-appeal! It was the type of dress that would make everybody in the room turn their heads when it entered the room, making every single man (and most likely several of the women, too) drool. The son and daughter both had their jaws open wide the moment they saw her, staring at the woman who certainly had the face of their mother… but what was with this "I'm rich" atmosphere?

And their mother was a smoker?! Where did that come from? And why would a lead researcher with pharmaceutical backgrounds even smoke? Of all people, she should know that that couldn't be healthy at all.

It was like his mother was two completely different people, and it was getting on their nerves - especially Minato's.

"So, Musubi, do you like your Ashikabi?"

Shouldn't she ask her son what he thought about this entire crapshoot of a competition?

"Oh, yes, Minato-sama is very kind. He bought me food, gave me a place to sleep, and let me play with Yukari-sama!" Oh no, this was not going to end well.

"Ah, yes, I had a feeling Yukari would have some fun with you," chuckled the mother, much to both of her children's astonishment.

"You KNEW?!"

"Quiet, you two. This is an expensive restaurant, and I wish to continue eating lunch here every other day."

"You eat here every other day? So instead of spending time with your children, like most parents want to do, you enjoy five star restaurants and limousine rides?" Ah, so Yukari also felt incredulous at her mother's extravagant lifestyle outside of their home. Of course, since her personality mirrored their mother's, Minato was fairly certain she would do the same thing in her mother's shoes - while using her brother's wallet, saying something about a brother being there to take care of his little sister. And should he argue that taking care of someone didn't mean letting the person empty his bank accounts, she would then proceed to beat him until he gave up, smiling cutely and offering her thanks.

… Okay, so it had probably happened a few times in his life already. He had already admitted he was a pushover when it came to the two women in his family. At least his mother would have the decency to look slightly bashful at her daughter's accusation, like she did at this lunch. Yukari rarely even gave him that satisfaction.

"Er, well, I… I didn't want you to get caught up in my work."

… Minato stared at his mother, trying to register her words. She "didn't want [them] to get caught up in [her] work"? She felt that by leaving them alone, without a caring parental figure, she was protecting them? The young man mentally snorted at that. No, she was just too focused on this work. And what was that work? As Lead Researcher for Mid Bio Informatics? Or as the paid mother for Musubi and her sisters? Minato so wanted to let out his frustrations of his mother's ineptness at being an actual parent… but he couldn't speak up. Not now. Not ever.

… He really, really wished he wasn't such a pathetic loser.

He wasn't really listening as his little sister took to berating their mother. He didn't pay attention as Takami never even tried to defend her actions. He barely registered his adorable Sekirei grasping his arm lightly, wondering if he was okay. No, in his mind, he looked back at all of the times he had every right to vocally question his mother's actions, and had chosen to stay silent.

He had always stayed silent.

"~to?"

He had always kept his opinions to himself.

"~nato?"

He had never stood up for himself.

"Minato?"

"Huh?" Shaken out of his self-loathing, he found three pairs of eyes staring at him. He wasn't surprised by Musubi's look of concern; despite the short time he had known her, the Ashikabi had easily figured out that his Sekirei was a simple girl who had no negative bone in her body. He was really grateful such an enthusiastic, caring girl choose him as her soul mate, even if it seemed like a waste. Still, seeing her smile made him feel a little better.

Nor wasn't he too surprised at his sister's demanding glare, one which he had received more times than he could count. Sure, it felt a little wrong to the older brother how much his sister took advantage of him. But at the same time, it felt… good - and not in a masochistic way. No, it was hard to explain, but he felt it meant that she stilled needed to rely on him, even when he wasn't very reliable. She trusted him, enough to look for his support.

But, while these two looks weren't unexpected, the same could not be said of Sahashi Takami. Her look… What was her look? Was that… fear? Was she scared of what he was going to say? This~ How was supposed to respond to that? His mother was perhaps the strongest woman he knew, and she often had an air of indifference when it came to him.

"Whatever. No doubt you were feeling guilty about your choices in the first place. It would explain why you were so anxious to help. You are going to help, right?"

His mother blinked at the 180 in her son's mood. He had been unnaturally - but justly - furious, but now he seemed meek again. Had a year away seriously changed him so much? "... You've grown quite a bit, haven't you, Minato?"

"Let's just say that I finally realized that hiding in fear of you is pointless."

It was his acceptance of that casual statement that got to the lead researcher of the world's largest conglomerate. It wasn't resigned, as if no matter what he did, he would still be under the heel of his mother. No, even if she figured he still felt like that, there was something more in this acceptance. It was almost like a resolution: even though there would still be times when she would still treat him like the bumbling fool he often was, he was promising himself the he'd overcome it. For the first time, Takami's eyes glowed with pride at her son. She had always known he was smart - after all, he was _his_ son after all, and she wasn't lacking in the brains department, either - but to stand up for himself? The boy was finally becoming a man.

"To answer your question, yes, I do intend to help you, Minato." A small nod, and the mask of anger was completely off, and back came the weak-willed young man. Well, maybe the mother could tease her growing little boy a little. "In fact, I tried to help you last night," she explained, hiding a smirk.

"Ah, so you sent the pink-haired girl and her bandaged friend over… you weren't thinking I'd wing them, were you?"

"Oh, aren't you the greedy Ashikabi? Already thinking about taking two other girls' virginity?" Her little teasing netted her the reward of seeing her son blush furiously, stuttering his denials. However, his effort made her wonder if there was perhaps a little truth in her small joke. "Well, to be honest, I hoped you would wing them. You'll need all the firepower you can get, if you are to stay in the Sekirei Plan."

The Ashikabi glanced at his Sekirei, who looked like she was completely lost in the conversation, unsurprisingly. A small smile sent to the bosom girl's way forced the girl's lips to turn upwards, completely pleased by the attention Minato was giving her. "I think that's already been determined." He then looked at his little sister, who also had a small smile at the cute display between the young man and his alien. "And what should we do about Yukari?"

Minato could have sworn the temperature in that busy restaurant dropped to just above freezing the moment those words left his lips. The cute smile on his sister's face had instantly morphed into a chilling one, made all the more cold from the unbridled fury in Yukari's eyes. "The girl you're so casually referring to in the third person as if she wasn't present is staying here, Oniichan."

"But it's too dangerou~"

"Too dangerous for Musubi, you mean! For all I know, the minute I'm away, you'll force yourself onto her!"

"Wh~? You know me! I have no confidence with girls!"

"Well, people have been known to get desperate in the constant company of someone of the opposite gender," stated Takami in a bored tone. She would know - that was how Minato was conceived in the first place.

"That's if those two are isolated with no other potential partners around!" The Sahashi matriarch flinched at that, since that was exactly what happened on that damn island, but thankfully it appeared he had not noticed her reaction. She quickly chose to get back on the topic of Sekirei mating rituals.

"Anyways, it's natural if you would want to copulate with her."

Her son gave the attractive older scientist a suspicious look. "... Why?"

"Because a male's usual response to seeing a girl with huge tits is a desire to bang her," deadpanned the mother, laughing softly as Minato slammed his head into the recently cleared table. Honestly, her son should have seen it coming. "Though, in all seriousness, it seems as if Sekirei release pheromones to further enhance their Ashikabi's lust."

"... Because they're a dying race and need to mate in order to survive?"

Takami gave a slight nod in the affirmative, quietly impressed at her son's quick analysis. If it hadn't been for this stupid plan Minaka had come up with, then perhaps she could have offered a job at MBI based solely off that quick and accurate conclusion. It was already leagues ahead of what most of the fools in the research labs were capable of.

Then again, if it hadn't been for the plan, then MBI probably wouldn't have existed in the first place… which still probably would have been alright.

Yukari, who up to this point was proud to keep up with the conversation, entered in a question that had been troubling her a bit. "But wait, that silver-haired Sekirei seemed like she reacted to me. Doesn't that seem counter-productive to their main goal with their Ashikabi?"

A shrug from their mother was all the recently graduated girl got in reply. It had been a good question, but there really wasn't a correct answer. Minato raised an eyebrow at his sister; after all, she should know about attraction to the same gender, what with her little escapades with Musubi last night.

Speaking of escapades with extremely well-endowed Sekirei… "So, in the end, Musubi has chosen me as a mate?" The young man eyed his still confused partner, noting how cute she was while also giving a subtle glance at her enormous chest. For a guy like him, getting married to a girl like her would have probably been impossible. Sudden visions of a wedding night started popping up in his head. Of Musubi, her divine body, lying on a regal bed, pulling her husband into her loving embrac~

"When you do bang her, I suggest using protection - this is supposed to be a battle royale, and a pregnant Sekirei will most likely become a dead Sekirei," drawled the mother, having noticed the perverted blush on her son's face. That instantly made the young man blush a deeper red.

"I can't believe we're in a upscale public restaurant and casually talking about Onii-chan's sex life." His sister voiced the thoughts that were now swimming in his head. But the tone of Yukari's comment didn't sound as horrified as he hoped; instead, it seemed … _amused_? Checking on who he originally thought was siding with him, Minato groaned in dismay to find the recent high school graduate trying to hold her laughter in.

Desperate for something to brighten what was quickly becoming a very cloudy, sad day - as well as someone who would actually support him - he turned to his light ball of sunshine. "Ne, Musubi, you won't ever leave me, right?"

Finally being addressed to, the bosom Sekirei could only give a soft smile that would make any man fall in love. "No, I wish to be by Minato-sama's side forever." Her Ashikabi's heart stopped for a second - this girl could say some really dangerous things! But before he could offer any kind of grateful reply, the miko-like girl pressed on obliviously. "And I also wish to keep having fun with Yukari-sama!"

… Yes, this girl could say some really dangerous things… Slightly crestfallen at the implication that she enjoyed her time with his sister more than him, the young man could only glare enviously at the youngest human in their little group who had a mischievous and lustful gleam in her eye.

* * *

"Benitsubasa, why are we still following those two?"

Across the street, hiding stereotypically behind poor disguises of out-of-date hats, fake mustaches, and trench coats, two normally cute girls spied on the small family reunion. If any of the three they were keeping an eye on had bothered to look their way, the two's distinctive hair would easily have given them away, a fact the gray-haired girl had pointed out the moment her partner had come up with this ill-conceived idea. Though, as she expected, the pink-haired pettanko had ignored her.

"Those two are meeting with Takami-sensei! They're probably blackmailing her to help fix this entire Plan, and we as the Discipline Squad must be there to apprehend them!"

"... Don't you remember Takami-sensei mentioning that those two were her children?"

"Th~ That's not the point!"

Sekirei #106 gave her partner a look that screamed her disbelief, which was ignored with a huff. Ugh, there were so many other things she would have preferred doing right now: polishing her bladed gloves, for example, or watching another horror movie. Sitting roughly a hundred feet away from her prospective Ashikabi without the chance of actually getting winged by her? That was not on her weekend To-do list.

"Benitsubasa, did you really have to drag me with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Spying on those two really doesn't need _two_ Sekirei, right?"

Number 106 really didn't expect an answer, let alone a logical one.

"Haihane, just shut and keep an eye out to make sure no one catches onto is.'

And she was completely right.

"Whatever," muttered the Blue Sekirei under her breath. "The sooner things click on that point brain of yours, the better." She knew her pink-haired friend was reacting to the scrawny guy, even more than her first reaction to seeing Natsuo. Of course, she too was doubting that initial attraction to the carefree young man at MBI. After a night of spying on the two Sahashi children and, as her partner maturely nicknamed her, Cowtits, the bandaged girl had determined that, yes, she was indeed reacting strongly to the girl who looked like a younger, less-endowed Takami-sensei. And unlike her tsundere partner, she wasn't in denial. Had Benitsubasa not been her usual stubborn self, Haihane would have already ran up to the raven-haired cutie… though what she would say, she had no clue.

Fortunately, the Red Sekirei failed to hear that last comment, too busy spying on the three and comparing the wimpy - though admittedly cute - ronin with her beloved Natsuo-sama. Whereas Takami-sensei's son looked more degenerate, the MBI clerk had an air of confidence. Sahashi-san was always on pins-and-needles, trying to figure out a way out of conflict, while Natsuo-sama thought the Sekirei Plan was fun. The poorly dressed young man in the restaurant seemed like he generally cared for the well-being of Cow-tits, but the presumed Ashikabi of the Disciplinary Squad never had shown any sort of affection to anybody...

"What are you two doing?"

"Eeeppp!" Startled out of her musing by a rich voice that sounded neither make nor female, Benitsubasa threw herself where she subconsciously determined was the safest place available: behind her fellow Disciplinary Squad member.

"Real mature, washboard."

"Shut up, Haihane!"

The two young Sekirei continued bickering, to the silent astonishment of their disrupter. It was almost as if they had forgotten that he was there. Face hidden by a mask, the mysterious stranger couldn't help but sweatdrop at the antics of the two. "Um, I'm still her~"

"You always make cracks about my breast size! Can't you come up with anything else?! Or are you too stupid to come with anything clever?!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you need a magnifying glass to even find your breasts."

"Yeah, well your head's full of ash!"

"That's real clever wordplay, working my name into it."

"Hah! That's right! I'm the clever one!"

"I'm pretty sure she was being sarc~" The masked person tried to interrupt, but the two young Sekirei weren't listening. Nope, like two teenage sisters caught in that time of the month the two quarreled, and nothing in the world could stop them.

 _RING! RING!_

Nothing, that is, but a cellphone.

 _RING! RING! RI~_

"WHAT?!" Benitsubasa screamed into the receiver, not caring whatsoever about the poor sap who was forced into calling her. "... What are you talking about? … Number 7? Isn't that the Scrapped Number? … WHAT?! Who~ How~ You better pray we find her, or _she_ will be getting an early birthday present!" And with that ominous threat, the pinkette furiously ended the call. "Haihane! We've got work to do!"

Behind the mask, the stranger's mouth dropped as the pinkette jumped into the air, followed begrudgingly by her gray-haired partner. It wasn't the physics-defying athleticism that had caught the mysterious figure off guard - no, it was purely the fact that, despite having tried to interrogate them five minutes previous, not one word had been sent in the stranger's direction. Teenagers… no, check that, teenaged Sekirei: the most hormonal creatures in all of existence. And it was the androgynous person's duty to protect them - at least until they found their precious chosen master. How that stranger sometimes loathed his job.

"Whatever. Takami's waiting. Best get over there as soon as possible," huffed the masked figure. He really hated being late.

* * *

Homura took his seat next to his long time associate/accomplice… Truth be told, he wasn't sure how he would describe his relationship with Sahashi Takami. The only thing he truly knew about her was that she did not support Minaka Hiroto's insane plan to make the Sekirei fight each other. And in his books, that made the MBI head researcher his ally. Though perhaps it was more along the lines of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Still, working with her had helped him guide several of his brothers and sisters to their respective - and true, which was more important - Ashikabi. She was the informant, letting him know whenever a little bird was released into "the wild," and he would track the young one until they got their wings. Among the aliens he became rather famous, often referred to as the "Sekirei Guardian," a title that, while embarrassing, was still held with a measure of pride. Of course, there were always the odd little birds that preferred to fly solo, but they were usually strong enough to take care of themselves. And then there were the ones who just got unlucky; the moment Homura turned his back, the big bad wolf would find them and gobble them up. Those failures haunted him, but fortunately there were more successes that his heart could cherish, if not envy.

All in all, the partnership between Homura and the MBI head researcher was a prosperous one, and that left him happy. Plus, it helped that the older woman was quite easy on the eyes - hey, he might have supposedly been a Sekirei out looking for his soul mate, but he was also a host, and his time there had helped him gain an appreciation for the female body. And Sahashi Takami definitely had a female body - frankly, if it wasn't for the fact that she had been one of the two humans who had discovered the spaceship, he would have thought she was a fellow alien.

Turning his attention away from the MILF next to him, he found three young people around his age, obviously confused about who he was and why he was disturbing their lunch break. The youngest one was Takami in miniature, so he assumed she was his ally's daughter. She was definitely a cutie, the type of girl that many of the hosts back at his job would hope pick them. Judging from the lovestruck look she had, he privately reasoned she would have potentially chosen him. Perhaps he should talk to her a bit more later on - if he was right and she was indeed Takami's daughter, there was definitely a chance that she had the potential to be an Ashikabi.

Next to her was someone familiar, though from the blank look the miko-clad Sekirei gave him, she obviously didn't recognize Homura. Just the day before he had been stealthily tracking her and the two Disciplinary Squad members he'd just met across the street, making sure all three of the unwinged Sekirei were out of harm's way. He'd almost stepped in to stop the twins from erasing them from the tournament before ever really being part of it. He'd then gotten a laugh when he found both the pinkette and brunette falling on top of some random squishy human.

Speaking of the human, there he was, next to the alien girl. So she ended up choosing him as her Ashikabi? Good for her! Ignoring that sudden little twitch (he reasoned he was somewhat jealous that she found her soulmate), nothing explained why the three of them were here with one of the smartest women on the planet. Perhaps he was Takami's probable daughter's boyfriend?

Thankfully, the scientist among them spoke up. "Minato, Yukari, Musubi, meet Kagari. Kagari, these are my children and their 'friend,'" introduced Takami, stressing a bit on the last word. Homura was privately grateful that she called him by his pseudonym. And that stress was to just make the two human children think he was just like them. The Sekirei Guardian smiled softly at his ally's considera~ "Kagari here works as a host at a nearby bar."

… That… that seemed off somehow. It… it sounded like she was saying she met him at his job. Sure, it didn't sound that bad - Homura was pretty sure Takami was single, and older single women weren't that uncommon where he worked (none of them looked half as stunning as the MBI queen, but that was neither here nor there). But to tell that specific fact to her children… Oh gods! She totally made it sound like he was her boy toy!

"Er, yes, Takami~" He grimaced, realizing he called his ally by her first name, which probably sounded rather closer that what was comfortable in front of the two. But would correcting himself help him in this case? Probably not. "Takami and I are… er… acquaintances." … Yeah, that didn't sound suspicious at all. Why did he have to explain their relationship with "acquaintance" of all words?

"... Right…" The probable Ashikabi sounded out, though Homura seriously doubted the young man really believed that shady explanation. "So, er, Homura? How long have you known my mother?"

… Forever? No, that would only dig his grave deeper. So maybe a half-truth was necessary? "We currently work together. We often keep tabs on each other." That… probably shoveled more dirt out than in. Ugh, this was painful! He was smarter than this! Calmer, too!

"He's #1 on my speed dial," chimed in the source of all the misunderstanding, not helping whatsoever. Homura just mailed it in - let the two think whatever they wanted.

"Mou, Mom! You were already popular with the guys in high school! Save some for me here in the city!"

"Yukari, our mother's dating a guy our age and that's what's bugging you?!"

"Our Mom's hot, onii-chan. Only gays wouldn't be attracted to her - and I'm sure a few would convert if she offered them."

"But do you really want her to be in love with someone young enough to be her son?"

"Ah, is that so, Takami-sensei? Congratulations!" Shockingly, Musubi had actually been somewhat able to follow the conversation, though she probably didn't realize whom the the head researcher was "in love" with.

Homura was crying now - maybe not visibly, but inside, he was shedding great fat drops, and not manly at that. He turned pleadingly to the culprit of this entire misunderstanding, trying to convey to her to stop this madness at once.

… She just continued chuckling, which was kind of unladylike in his opinion.

The two Sahashi siblings kept bickering for the next few minutes, sometimes drowned out by Musubi's loud ramblings of true love and what not, all the while driving the normally cool and collected male Sekirei closer to the brink. This was not how Homura was thinking this lunch was going to be.

Luckily, Takami decided enough was enough. "Relax, Minato and Yukari. I didn't come here to introduce you to my boy toy. No, instead, I've brought Kagari here as your future neighbor."

… Seriously, this older woman was dangerous. First she makes it seem like Homura and she were in a relationship. And then she flips the ship and informs everyone present that they'll be neighbors. Wasn't she supposed to ask beforehand whether it was okay for them to move in? They were her children, meaning they were connected to MBI, and Homura knew that MBI and his landlady did not mix. How would she ever consider allowing the children of the conglomerate's second-most important person to stay at Izumo Inn? What next, was she going to tell them he was actually a Sekirei?

… Shit, he'd done it now. He'd tempted fate. He was screwed. Where was the nearest exit? Perhaps he could escape before the conversation was fully steered in that direction.

"Err, Mom," Minato broke the stunned silence that had lasted while Homura was silently eyeing the windows. "Do you think that's … er… wise? You know?" To help explain what his mother should "know," he motioned extremely unsubtly with his eyes at Musubi.

"Oh, don't worry. Kagari here is a Sekirei, too."

… And now the cat was out of the bag.

Homura could only sit there, glaring at the woman who claimed to be working with him, wondering if just looking at her long enough could set her on fire. The shouts of surprise stemming from the siblings, the challenge issued by the battle-obsessed alien girl, the shrieks of outrage and annoyance from the other customers - none of this mattered to the black-clad Sekirei as he silently saw his entire world burning down in flames.

* * *

There were very few people in the world who could potentially compare to the bundle of joy that was Musubi. She was Happiness personified - though "alienified" may have been more appropriate. She was, after all, not a human. Maybe that was one big reason why she was so cheerful.

No matter the reason, Sekirei No. 88 loved life. She loved food. She loved fighting. She loved the fact that she found her Ashikabi-sama, and she loved Minato-sama for being such a kind one at that. She loved the fun she had with Yukari-sama, even if it had felt a little weird in the beginning. She loved knowing that her Ashikabi-sama and his sister were the children of a woman she knew who loved them enough to try and help them win the Sekirei Plan. She loved having a rival, even though she still wasn't too sure what that exactly was yet. She even loved a certain Sekirei who held the personal opinion that the whole world would look better dyed in blood. She loved, well, love!

She was also cheerfully oblivious to how nauseating that could be to normal people who weren't overwhelmed by the whole Sekirei battle royale thing going on. Or it might have been their astonishment that a single breast of hers was roughly the size of their heads. Did it really matter? She was, after all, cheerfully oblivious to practically everything.

So it had come to little surprise that the human-ish Energizer bunny hummed along happily amid a dark cloud of grief, fear, and - in the case of a certain recent high school graduate who was surrounded by a genuine bishounen, the busty-to-the-extreme Musubi, and the brother she still had a nonsensical crush on - lust that was present in the limo they were all riding. Though, in her defense, neither of the two male companions were aware at all of that last attribute, either.

"So, Minato-sama, we're going to our new home?"

Her winning smile proved to break through a little bit of the cloud which hung over her Ashikabi-sama. The boy who lacked confidence lifted the corners of his lips a bit. "Yes, Musubi-chan, Homura-san here is taking us to where we're going to live from now on."

The silver-haired young man, who had drained some bad-smelling drink from a bunch of cans the miko-clad Fist-type was unaware of, choked slightly at the sound of his name, earning a giggle from the alien girl. Musubi had just learned that he had pretended to be a normal human named Kagari in his search for an Ashikabi, though the winged Sekirei hadn't understood why. Shouldn't the Ashikabi-sama that a Sekirei reacted to know who the Sekirei really was? But though she couldn't fathom why Homura-sama was keeping his identity secret, she still found his reactions kind of funny.

But it was not polite to enjoy someone's embarrassment. Or, at least, that was what her adjustor had said. Instead, it was better to show him gratitude for his actions. "Oooh! Thank you so much, Homura-sama!"

"Ah, it's no big deal, Musubi," the slight young man replied, somewhat flustered at the praise.

"But it is! Homura-sama is helping unwinged Sekirei find their true Ashikabi-sama! That is a true mission of love!"

"... Is that so?"

Unfortunately for the alien boy, he had gained a new… _admirer_ in the form of Sekirei No. 88. Though unlike all of the women who stopped by his bar to see if they could bring him home with them for the night, Musubi was an admirer not of his looks, but of his actions. She had heard rumors of a "Sekirei Guardian," and naturally saw that person as a hero for all Sekirei. To meet him in person… she had literally squealed in excitement with stars in her eyes. The miko-clad girl had quickly stated her ambition to be just like Homura-sama, protecting all Sekirei in the name of love! Naturally, she failed to realize how impossible that would be if she wanted to end the Plan as the winner.

The girl was also fascinated by her new friend's powers. Even though it was fairly obvious thanks to his name, according to her forgotten Sekidex that Takami-sensei had returned, Homura-sama had fire-based powers! And he was a single digit! Homura-sama would be another obstacle to overcome, but she was excited for any potential fight against him. It would only make her stronger! Minato-sama also seemed excited for the upcoming battle! At least, she thought he was. He kept muttering "single digit" and "fire" over and over again while glancing in Homura-sama's direction...

With a final lurch, the limousine stopped just outside of what looked like a traditional Japanese home. With a cheer of delight, the girl hopped out, practically skipping to the door. There, at the front door, was a beautiful woman in a miko uniform, just like her! Well, it wasn't as short and it was purple, but it was still a miko uniform! Musubi just knew she was going to love this place.

"Ara? Who are you?"

"I'm Sek~" The cheerful girl started, but her words were suddenly cut off when a hand covered her mouth.

"Her name is Musubi," her Ashikabi-sama answered, before urgently whispering into the Bear Sekirei's ear. "We're not supposed to talk about the Sekirei Plan to strangers, rememb~"

"New Sekirei spotted!"

Minato-sama was suddenly interrupted by a mechanical voice. Musubi watched the brown-haired boy glance down at the Sekidex attached to his belt, a weird sound coming out of his mouth. It reminded her of the meowing of the stray cats in alley ways mixed with the loud sirens of police cars that seemed to follow her a lot before she was winged.

The Sekidex continued. "Sekirei No. 01 Miya, the Sekirei Queen. Miya is a Swordsmanship Sekirei, able to send powerful shockwaves with just a slash of her blade. She exudes a calm manner, but beneath that hides a true demon. Stats: 87-56-87."

Everyone stood in the front yard, shocked at the information. Everyone, that was, except for Musubi. "Yay! The Leader of the 1st Generation of the Disciplinary Squad! Karasuba-sama spoke highly of you!"

"I~Is that so?"

"Yep! You're my hero! I'm going to one day beat you in the name of Love!"

Her words were accompanied by several different actions. Minato-sama fell, and Musubi bent over him, concerned if he was weak from hunger. Homura-sama had for some reason slapped his face, though she wasn't sure why anyone would hit themselves. Miya-sama hid her face behind her hand and giggled. And Yukari-sama … well, Yukari-sama was drooling. Maybe she was also hungry?

Suddenly the front door opened, and another girl peaked outside. "Hey, Miya," the girl moaned, rubbing her eyes. "When's breakfast?"

"New Sekirei spotted!"

Another weird noise came from Minato-sama. Musubi really couldn't explain that one.


End file.
